For more than 25 years, Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe has hosted its “Alive at the Bluebird” series to raise funds for the Middle Tennessee nonprofit Alive Hospice. The event will continue in 2021 and feature performances from Kendell Marvel and Shane McAnally, among others, but will shift to a streaming format due to Covid-19.
Beginning Thursday, January 7th, “Alive at the Bluebird” begins its 28th edition with Gary Burr, Georgia Middleman, and Jim Photoglo. Shows will continue weekly at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursdays, with tickets available via StageIt for $20. Future performances include Marc Beeson and Lucie Silvas (January 14th); Erin Enderlin, Kendell Marvel, and Waylon Payne (January 21st); JT Harding (January 28th); and Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne (February 4th).
“This year forced all of us to think more about what really matters and find creative ways to sustain our work. When it came time to start planning Alive at The Bluebird, we knew we couldn’t let uncertainty overshadow a beautiful tradition that means so much to our community,” Bluebird President/GM Erika Wollam Nichols said in a release.
“Alive at the Bluebird” will run every Thursday for 15 weeks, with additional performers yet to be announced.
Like many venues, Nashville’s longtime proving ground for songwriters has been searching for innovative ways to bring music to its audiences since the pandemic began. In April, Nichols talked to Rolling Stone about re-creating the Bluebird vibe via a livestream. “When the artists and songwriters come into the Bluebird, they’re sitting in the middle of the room, and you’re sitting next to them. We try to keep that in mind as we talk about how we can do anything digital and maintain that sense of what the Bluebird is at heart,” she said. “We can’t duplicate plunking you into the middle of the room, sitting on Vince Gill’s left arm, but we can still do our very best to create that experience for people.”